Enough to Care
by SongoftheDarquePhoenix
Summary: After a disastrous stay with Ventress, Anakin realises his master went through far more than anyone is willing to admit.
1. Prolog

**Enough to Care**

**By: Song **

_**Summary:** After a disastrous stay with Ventress, Anakin realizes his master went through far more than anyone is willing to admit. _

_A/U: I really, really shouldn't be writing another fic... but I am. NOTE: The first chapter is rated at "K+", however, due to the subject matter of the fic and what happens in the next chapter it is over all rated at "M"._

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"HE'S NOT DEAD!" He screamed, voice an octave higher than usual.

The damnable Jedi stood, solemnly head bowed. "I am sorry Padawan Skywalker." He said, bowing slightly before exiting in that same serene manner.

He wasn't. He _couldn't_. He wouldn't!

But he was.

Blindly Anakin reached into The Force, grasping for guidance or comfort- something, anything that would make it all right. He didn't know when he sank to his knees, tears streaming down his face. He didn't recognize the unearthly screams-slash-sob reverberating around his head were coming from his own mouth. He didn't understand that the pained pulsations of sorrow in the Force were created by him.

All he knew- his master, his mentor- was dead.

Dead.

Hours may have passed in the time he spent groaning on the floor while Jedi panicked.

So totally unaware of the world around him, the grieving padawan did not notice as a syringe was slid into his arm by a temple healer to calm the hysteria.

And just before the sedative took effect he felt the faintest tug on the bond.

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_TBC..._

_I have part of the next chapter written, and if all goes well it should be up in the next couple of weeks. I do, however need suggestions. What did ObiWan go through? Where do you want this fic to go? _

**Leave a review and tell me!**


	2. Chapter One

**_Enough to Care_**

**_Chapter One_**

**_By: Song  
_**

_**Summary**: After a disastrous stay with Ventress, Anakin realizes his master went through far more than anyone is willing to admit._

_A/U: A HUGE thanks to __**BrokenAngelique **__and__** Synthych**__, for leaving a review. I had actually made up my mind the night before to delete this fic and rewrite it before posting. This chapter's for you!

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_

A month had passed before Anakin was able to escape the temple. Had it not been for the exhausting training regime he put himself though he surely would have gone mad. The entire time his stomach was revolting against him.

The hour was late when he awoke to a gentle nudge from the Force.

It was time.

A certain urgency was in his manner and had his mind not been on the task at hand he might have found it strange that no opposition cropped up against his crusade. Quickly usurping a small cruiser from the hanger Anakin set course for Jabiim and ObiWan's last known coordinates.

So distracted was he that hiss flight pattern was more frenzied than usual. He didn't even notice when the Coroscanti officials made to pull him over before seeing the robes and braid.

After entering hyperspace Anakin had nothing to occupy his mind. Nightmares of finding his master but simply coming too late flitted through his mind. Images of of dismembered body parts the back of his closed eyelids. Blood curdling screams and heart-wrenching sobs of agony rung in his ears. He could feel the bodily-fluid soaked robes in his hands, taste the human waste in the air-

And Jabiim was in sight.

Tearing himself from the horrors of the mind he maneuvered the ship onto the planet, storing it before exiting, adorning a cloak to mask his shape and following the incessant itch of pain leaking from ObiWan's side of the bond. Relying on the the bond he found himself before an opening, suffering seeping from its dark depths.

This was it. The outcome of... everything rested on this. And it would make, or break him.

So he put one foot in front of the other- and walked right in.

Feet fell on silent stone, a slight splash adding to the melody of rot below each step. The incessant drip drip drip of the dungeon was the only sound as he sidled through the darkness. Right, left, strait, right again. The motion seemed unreal as he moved, guided by something greater than himself. Drip, drip, drip. Splash! Drip. Drip. Drip.

He exhaled loudly though none were around to hear. Shadows flitted about him in fear of being crushed as the torches adorning the dreary walls spat disdain at them. Drip. Drip. Drip.

The labyrinth was without end. Drip. Drip. Drip.

A vulgar scent tickled at his nose. Drip. Drip. Drip.

The smell became stronger as he moved, disgustingly putrid and obscene. (the combination of rotting flesh and human waste)?

Drip. Drip. Drip.

There!

Primitive bars made out of an unknown metalloid sectioned off a small end of the tunnel.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

His saber came to life with a snap-hiss and quick work was made of the prison. The glow of the saber next to the flickering of the ever present torch illuminated a horrifying scene.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

At eighteen years of age, with numerous missions of field work under his belt and only months away from knighthood- Anakin Skywalker was not ready for this. Even in the best of circumstances (not wracked with betrayal and grief over the past month being spent mourning the living and unable to help) he would not have been ready for this.

The strongest man he had ever known lie before him, broken.

It seemed so... wrong. To have such a beautiful creature as was ObiWan Kenobi reduced to such a state.

Kneeling down he swept hair caked in grime from his master's face.

Force! Who would ever do such a thing to him? ObiWan had never wronged anybody!

The Force whispered the answer to him. Asajj Ventress. Because he was a Jedi. Because he existed.

Because he was Anakin's master.

He lifted ObiWan's much smaller, far to light frame into his arms. A choked gasp escaped the man and a few tears fell from his eyes. Shedding his outer robe and wrapping it around the prone form in an attempt to save what little dignity was left the padawan made to leave.

Anakin was desperate to escape that forsaken place. Had he not been The Chosen it is safe to say that he (and thus his master) would never have made it out intact.

Never releasing the auburn man from his grip he exited the fortress, quickly making it to the ship via Force enhancement he had stashed before the endeavor.

A cruiser the ship was not well equipped for the task ahead. Resting the man on the lone sleep bunk he punched in the coordinates for the Jedi temple and set it to autopilot. Had he been in any other circumstance, he would have manually flown the ship back to Coruscant. As it was however, ObiWan needed him more.

Returning quietly after retrieving the med-kit from beneath the pilot seat Anakin sat by his master. Ever so carefully as to not disrupt the man he removed the cloak. In the safety of the cruiser the horrifying reality of the situation was brought into detail under the artificial light.

Every inch if his master's body was covered in bruises and contusions. Bile rose in the young man's throat, and had he not been raised on Tatooine he might have vomited.

It had taken a number of hours to get through all the grime to treat the man, and another few to nurse the injuries. Throughout this jaunt Anakin had deliberately ignored one region on his master's body. He drew his eyes to the last area to be treated, turning slightly green.

It seemed like such a violation to touch his master there, after he had been through so much. And yet, he knew that the man's wounds must be disinfected and treated for him to survive the long flight back. This included the injuries inflicted to his reproductive organs.

Setting to the task at hand he began to methodically clean and bandage.

Up until this point ObiWan had made no noise or sound as Anakin tended him. The once strong general cried out openly while he cared for a particularly inflamed (probably infected) injury. It broke his heart to know he was the one inflicting suffering on the man, even if for his own benefit.

"It's alright master..." He whispered. "I'm here... I'm here..."

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_I still need input on what to do with this fic. -winkwink- -cough**REVEIW**cough-_


	3. Chapter Two

**_Enough To Care_**

**_Chapter Two_**

_**By:** Song _

_A/U: I had hoped for a triple post of all my WiPS- but alas, that didn't work out as my computer crashed and with it went the files for the next chapter. This one was actually a rewrite from the version lost in the vast expanse of my hard drive. Consider yourselves' lucky._

_A/U2: Chapter is rated "M". Heed this as my content warning._

_A/U3: Minor edits as of 2/12/12 Toned down slightly for greater build up- minor spelling mistakes fixed.  
_

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When he landed on the platform there was little fanfare. He might have though his little escapade had gone unnoticed, were it not for Grand Master Yoda and council member Mace Windu waiting at the entrance.

Putting the thoughts aside he took a spare cloak to wrap his master's prone body in. He may have gone through hell but he deserved at least some dignity.

It took all of his strength to take his master from the safety of the ship. Realistically, he knew that if anything Coroscant meant safety. The illogical part of him wanted to hold his master close and never let go.

The walk from the landing pad to the entry was long and painful. Though his master had never regained consciousness, he ventured for protection from his larger frame. ObiWan had shied away from the painful light, burrowing his face into Anakin's chest when they emerged from the ship.

"Masters," he greeted bowing his head respectively. With one arm around ObiWan's shoulders, and the other below his knees the traditional bow from the waist was near impossible.

Mace's eyes searched the form in his arms saying nothing.

"To the healers we must get, if to survive ObiWan is." Yoda's gravely voice was soft. He turned, gimmer stick tapping a steady beat on the tile.

"Yes master," the padawan replied, following the little green troll.

In comparison to the long walk from the ship to the temple, the walk to the healers took little time. Mace more than once offered to take his master from his arms, but he refused. Likewise, he refused to leave his mater's side as the healers worked on him.

He shouldn't have been surprised when the healers unwrapped his naked body- but he was. With his master draped in immaculate jedi robes he could almost pretend that everything was alright. But being able to see every broken rib, every festering wound, the hard angles of his pelvis bony and bruised rather than lithe or muscular as he knew a jedi should be. Something within him stirred as the council members' eye raked his master's nudity. It was wrong! He had no right to see his master like that! They weren't the one to save the man's life! In fact, the council had refused to allow Anakin to even search for him! They weren't the ones who had carried, cleaned and treated him! ObiWan was _his _master!

Anakin's internal rant was cut short by a twinge of pain from the bond. His mid was brought back to the present and his master, where pieces of infection were carefully removed while force knows what else was washed away. The sting of disinfectant and illness bit at his nose. Despite his master's state of unconsciousness he could see the weak protests to the pain- even if the was too weak to do little more than shy away from the healer's hands. Mace had left, some time ago whilst Anakin watched unawares.

"Saved ObiWan's life you did. Little more you can do for him now. Speak, we must."

"Yes master," he answered without really hearing.

"Amazing it is, ObiWan's resiliency."

Anakin couldn't meet the grand master's eyes.

"Pains you it does, seeing him like this." Yoda affirmed, displaying his usual insight.

"Yes master." His voice was soft as he replied.

"Strong he is. Worry not, you should."

"Yes master." He replied, though doubt welled up inside him.

Anakin did not sleep soundly that night. His relief at ObiWan being back quickly turned to dread as another vision enveloped him. Instead of the future- it was one of the past. The time that his master has spent at the hands of a monster.

After what seemed like an eternity the vision ended and he cried. He cried good and hard. He cried like he had never cried before. He cried for his master and what he had lost. And it wasn't even to someone he loved. If it were it would have been cause to celebrate.

But it wasn't... it wasn't.

He found himself in the rooms of the Grand Master of the Jedi Order- Yoda.

"Dreams you've had, hmm?" Suddenly Anakin didn't know what he was doing here. He didn't want to tell Yoda about the vision.

"Saw, you did, of ObiWan's imprisonment."

"I-" he paused "yes."

"Tell me you will."

He hesitated, unsure if it was conducive to his master's career as a jedi to speak of his imprisonment.

"Familiar I am, with your species and their anatomy. Nothing to fear for ObiWan's sake, you have."

Anakin's face colored, though it was impossible to see in the dim light. Yoda already knew.

He swallowed, and began.

"It was... in the beginning... it wasn't... it was _normal _torture. Vibro blades and stuff... electro whips. _Normal _things. But then..." He grimaced, remembering the brutal scenes. "... but then she realized that that wouldn't work- and she... she _started doing _things to him..."

Yoda waited as the padawan regained his composure.

"He kept insisting that he wouldn't react. But she knew what she was doing- she began touching him, feeling him in certain areas. And he started gasping... and she began licking was trying so hard not to let it affect him; but it did. He was begging her to stop. She- she used his body to pleasure herself. He was so disgusted with himself. That he couldn't control it... and began to cry." Anakin paused. "He's never... been with anyone before, has he?"

Yoda bowed his head. "Interpret the code to the extreme, ObiWan does. Untouched he was, before this."

Anakin kept his eyes on the on the floor. His master had lost a part of himself during the imprisonment. A piece that he valued greatly. A piece that he would never get back. It was odd, to think of his master as innocent. As a victim. It was even odder to think of himself as more 'experienced' than his master.

Another thing that ObiWan would never have; the pleasure of loosing that piece of himself to someone he cared for. To trust that piece of himself to someone he loved.

"Need you, he will. Trust you, I do, with healing him. Hard time for ObiWan, this will be."

The room was left silent as thought consumed the two jedi.

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_To be continued..._


	4. Chapter Three

_**Enough To Care**_

_**Chapter Three**_

_**By: Song**_

_**A/U: **__I need a consult for this fic on timelines seeing as I am unfamiliar with EU. (Read: I have never watched TCW, nor do I plan to. Things will understandably, take their own course in the fic.)_

_A/U 2 : I don't feel this chapter is quite up to standard. For that, I apologize.  
_

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Soft light filtered through the temple's transparisteel windows. Various monitors rhythmically beeped the man's fragile confirmation of life. Leads into and out of his body were attached to seemingly endless numbers of machines carrying on basic functions that he was too weak to do himself.

Almost hesitantly, Anakin reached out to his master, placing a hand over his. Even if minimal, he could take some of the man's pain away. Carefully opening the bond he siphoned away the man's silent torment, releasing it into the force.

He wasn't supposed to be like this. He was supposed to be out cold- too drugged to feel anything. That stated, it was obvious the man was in terrible pain. The monitors did not indicate anything- his master was too far caught in memories better forgotten.

A bead of sweat dripped from his nose to the sterile sheet below. He was bone weary and tired- but unwilling to stop. As much as the he hurt, the man that had somehow wormed his way into his heart and arms hurt levels of magnitude more.

His face was pallid, and though closed he knew by some strange sense that his eyes would be hallowed of the life that once danced so vibrantly once.

He was a perfect Jedi; or so everyone thought. There was one thing though, that he had never quite managed to master.

His emotions. He just became very, _very _ good at masking them.

Anakin didn't know how he knew that. Perhaps the Force revealed the tidbit of information. Instead of the master he had always revered... his master was still, underneath it all, a man.

He wasn't sure if he should feel comforted or disturbed by that. ObiWan had always been so much more than just a man in his eyes. The untouchable, unreachable goal. A father, a brother and a confident all rolled into one.

How could he do this to him? He was supposed to be perfect! ObiWan was _supposed_ to be everything he wasn't! And getting captured? Tortured? _Raped_? That was below him. That was below the Jedi.

The monitors became agitated as ObiWan picked up on the negative energy he was emitting into the Force.

With one final look to ObiWan's pained face, Anakin left the healers' wing.

He needed to talk to Padme.

The trip from the temple to the Senate was uneventful.

When he entered the Senate building the receptionist greeted him with a lackluster "Good afternoon Master Jedi, how may I be of service?"

He replied shortly with a "Is Pad- uh- Senator Amidala in?"

The receptionist checked something on the display before stating "She is in session at the moment."

"Can you relay a message to her?" He asked hopefully.

"No."

"Can you tell me when she'll be out?"

"I'm sorry, but I am not privileged to the information. You'll have to wait just like everyone else." She spat the last part.

Uttering a few choice words under his breath Anakin left in a huff. He would just have to break into her apartment and wait for her there.

Once again, the trip was uneventful. It was slightly less of a bore because he had to sneak past the security guards, get into the air vents and then figure out which exit was his, but, after that everything had been a piece of cake.

He waited in silence while darkly contemplating what he would tell his wife.

The man's return had not been made public yet. It wasn't until the night before last that the healers had even determined if he would survive. (He, of course, had no question. His master was back where he was meant to be- by his side. That didn't stop his fear from flaring every time the monitor signaled something was wrong.)

Outside he could hear a heated argument between Padme and whom he guessed was another senator.

Padme opened the door with a huff and dismissed the other senator rather shortly.

It was a moment before Padme noticed him.

"Oh Ani!" She exclaimed as she ran towards him. "I heard about ObiWan." She whispered into his chest.

He held her tightly as she continued. "That is actually what the- ahem, debate that I'm sure you over heard was about. Some of the senators, myself included have become privy to new information on the war- such as ObiWan's return. Senator Drabsqueta, was saying that the sacrifice of a few Jedi was a necessary for the conflict to be resolved- I of course, took offense at such. I still think that this whole fiasco can be solved diplomatically with as little bloodshed as possible."

As their embrace ended he could not find it in himself to meet her eyes.

"Ani?" Padme asked hesitantly. "Ani, tell me what's wrong."

"ObiWan's not... he's not well."

"Tell me."

The pair found a comfortable spot on the couch while the padawan tried to speak.

"It was terrible Padme... I- you know that I went to rescue him. But when I got there- he looked... he looked dead. He was stark and he had... fluids on him. I got him out and had to clean him. I know he's my master; and I know that it's my responsibility to care for him when he's not well- and that includes healing him, and washing him- and- and that sort of thing - but Force Padme! It felt so wrong! Seeing-_knowing _the things that they'd done to him! Everything was injured. Everything was infected. His skin was red and swollen... and I can't imagine..." He inhaled deeply, trying centering himself and starting over.

He pursed his lips in an attempt to regain control of his emotions. Tears were threatening to breach his defenses.

"They strapped him down as they- as they hurt him. Tortured him. _Raped him_."

"Oh, Ani! Is he all right?"

"No, he's not 'all right'! Padme! He'll never BE 'all right' ever again! They took something from him that he can never- can never regain. They took his self worth..."

'M sorry, Padme. I didn't mean to snap. It's just-" he paused. "I've been having dreams again. About what happened to him. She was crueler than most of the slavers on the outer rim. I've seen the slaves of pleasure ships treated better. At night I can't sleep... I'm afraid of what I'll see. What was done to him. But I know that to help him get through this- that I have to. I have to understand what he lost."

Her hand lay atop his, urging him to continue.

"I can't help but think that it's somehow my fault. That maybe, if I had just listened to him- he wouldn't have gone through with this. That if I somehow knew he was alive I could have saved him sooner. Or if I was with him on that mission he wouldn't have gotten captured at all..."

She wiped away a tear that he hadn't known he had shed.

"He's weak... so, so weak. And scared. Terrified. The others can't tell, but I can _feel it_. He can't stand on his own, or feed himself... or anything. It's like he's dead. And I hate her for it. I hate knowing that she's still out there. Biding her time.

"The worst part is that deep down, a part of me blames _him _for this. For putting me through so much pain..." he trailed off, dejected.

"ObiWan is strong Anakin- and so are you. We'll all make it through this- somehow." She smiled, kissing him lightly.

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_To be continued..._


	5. Chapter Four

**_Enough to Care_**

**_Chapter Four_**

**_By: Song_**

_**A/U:** I figured that this is AU anyway- so what the hell? This is me, fucking with the time line._

_**A/U2:** I finally learned how to get me to through writers block!- strand me miles away from internet access and crash my jump drive of backup fanfictions to read! On a side note this chapter has been a real bitch._

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He was having a wonderful dream- one of the normal kind even. He and Padme were enjoying a beautiful morning in Lake Country, simply lounging on a hill and watching the clouds go by. Clouds never ceased to amaze him. Growing up on a planet with as little water as Tatooine, the idea that it could vaporize into whimsical shapes air was novel. In the distance the house sat where ObiWan was cooking a nice meal for them. All was fine and lovely in the world-

Until the Comm unit began brazenly beeping at him, demanding his attention and dissolving away the dream.

Despite the rude awakening, the night was the best he had slept in weeks. In fact, it was the best he had slept since his master was master-napped. (Padme might have something to do with that. Perhaps.) Padme was curled by his side, her skin luminescent in the light of the early morn.

For a moment as he awoke with his beautiful Padme by his side, all seemed to be well in the universe.

Then he remembered the days previous' events.

Jolting up he swore loudly.

"..Ani? Is everything al-all-allrigh?" She yawned.

".krith, krith, krith, krith, krith..." He swore violently, eventually dissolving into Huttese so vulgar it would make a smuggler blush.

Padme, (thankfully) knowing nothing of his native toung simply waited for the string of cures to end.

"Anakin?" She asked again more awake this time.

He turned eyes softened at the sight of her worried face. "I'm sorry my love," he whispered kissing her lightly. "I shouldn't be here right now. They'll be expecting me at the temple for a debriefing at..." he checked the chrono "0700 hours. I have to be there. And with ObiWan in the shape he's in..."

"It's okay Ani, go."

He sent a grateful look her way before gathering his pants from the apartment floor.

Though Coroscant was called the planet that never slept, traffic was nearly non-existent as he retreated from the senatorial housing units. (Something he was immensely grateful for as his relationship with Padme could only be described as more than a little unconventional at the best of times.)

No one in their right minds would be up at this ungodly hour unless they had to be.

Except maybe ObiWan.

ObiWan.

Unconsciously he added pressure to the throttle.

ObiWan. His master. His mentor... and friend.

The temple loomed a beacon of light in a shroud of darkness. Despite the almost celestial image a sense of foreboding clung to the stone vestiges of the temple's facades. Almost as if The Force reacting to his tumultuous emotions and even ObiWan's current state.

Jumping off the speeder before it finished powering down he exited the landing pad and followed the (tenuous?) bond to his master.

When he reached the healer's wing his trepidation was not assuaged in the slightest. The tell-tale sweet and slightly sickly oder of bacta permeated the room. The thread of life that had held him to this plane was no longer frayed and wearing thin. Instead a tightly woven chord (though still disturbingly small) tethered his master to this existence. Like the day before he was hooked up to various machines keeping track of everything from his master's heart rate to level of consciousness.

So far neither were very promising.

Anakin sat and opened himself to the Force. If ObiWan had been awake, this action alone surely would have caused him to faint. He had been trying for years to get Anakin to meditate without being forced and consciously reach towards the all encompassing entity's guidance (Little did his master know that his connection to The Force was greater than that any normal Jedi could ever hope to achieve- but it never failed to amuse him how easily he could push his master's buttons.)

He relaxed into the gentle ebb and flow of The Force, focusing intently on the man who lay before him.

Darkness clung to his master in a way he couldn't describe. It was like how Ventress, and even Dooku felt- but at the same time not similar in the slightest. The darkness seemed to only form a shell around the man, pulsating angrily but unable to taint the brightness within. Around opposing energies battling for dominance, The Force cradled his master as a child siphoning off pain and anguish and dissolving negativity away into the ether.

If he hadn't felt it himself, he never would have believed it.

ObiWan's face contorted and the darkness around him grew. Images flashed through Anakin's mind of his imprisonment, soundless and stark in twisted clarity. ObiWan, vomiting his meager meal onto the floor. ObiWan, cold and alone in the shadows. ObiWan, tied to a wall and beaten with an electro-whip. ObiWan, screaming as a hood was placed over his head. ObiWan, crying softly as Ventress descended upon him.

Behind him the monitor's beeping remained unchanged.

Filling himself with positive energy Anakin forced his way through the bond into the surface layers of his master's mind. He met little resistance. His master was in little state to shield, much less combat the intrusion. Though he hated to admit it, ObiWan's fortitude was greater than even _he_ could breach without causing his master distress.

For each dark thought and feeling he encouraged the light within his master's soul. Feelings of gratitude and love flooded the bond feeding the hearth fire of his master's energy. Before long the dwindling flame burned abright once more. Though far from the nova of energy that was his master's force presence, Anakin had reaffirmed his master's connection with this plane of existence.

Sitting back Anakin took a moment to appreciate the beauty of his work. No one else would have been able to do this. The healer's hadn't even known that anything was wrong! Some sick part of him hidden away from the light was strangely happy about that. Not ObiWan's suffering, no- but how _he_ was the only one who could help.

"Late you are, in reporting to the council. Surprised I was, to find you like this." A voice floated through to his mind.

"Master Yoda?" He asked, startled from the state of nonexistence.

"Very damaged, young ObiWan is." The Grand Master continued, "Need much help he will, if a Jedi he is still meant to be. Sense I do, of great importance he is. Safe he will remain, while his padawan reports."

Unfolding himself from the meditative position Anakin stood and stretched, yawning loudly. He glanced at the chrono- 0900, he had been working on ObiWan for nearly three standard hours. "Yes, Master Yoda. I-"

"Escort you I shall. Any later, you would not want to be." the grand master interrupted.

The council was waiting as the odd pair entered the chamber overlooking Coroscant. Yoda hobbled over to his chair, sitting down comfortably before speaking. "Tell us you will, of events leading up to ObiWan's liberation."

Anakin reported a slightly censored version of the events leading to his master's rescue. He left out the true nature of his master's injury and health in an effort to save him feelings of shame. Through out the report he could feel Master Yoda's eyes bore into his very soul. Despite the scrutiny, he felt no disappointment from the Grand Master. Only understanding and deep sorrow.

The report was far less traumatic than he had expected, as the duration of it consisted of him simply speaking without interruption and garnering no repudiation from the council.

Near the end of the edited tale the inevitable questions arose.

"Padawan Skywalker, how did you come into the knowledge of Master Kenobi's whereabouts, when the entirety of the council felt him to be one with The Force?" Ki Adi Mundi asked pointedly.

Anakin's anger blossomed under the cross examination. Taking a moment to collect himself and put words to his thoughts as unconfrontationaly as possible, he began. "As you know masters," (a few of the members furled slightly at the sheer insolence of the padawan speaking) "from the beginning I did not feel ObiWan's was one with The Force. The bond was not broken as it should had he died. Just... empty. Lost in an impenetrable veil of shadows." He shuddered involuntarily at the memory.

If THEY had anything to say about it, his master would still be in that hell. If HE hadn't taken the initiative, ObiWan would be dead. As dead as Master QuiGon, as dead as his mother-

"How did you know where Master Kenobi was?" Mace Windu questioned hands folded electorally bringing closure to the dangerous trail of thought.

Anakin answered the question simply with the underlying conviction of "The Force."

"Meet me alone, you will young Skywalker. Much to discuss I have with you." With that Master Yoda settled himself into a trance effectively ending the session.

The council dismissed themselves, each going their separate ways to preform their various duties. Anakin stood watching as the chamber emptied. More than anything, he did not know what to do. He wished ObiWan were awake. He always had input ready regardless of his padawan's thoughts on such.

After an uncertain amount of time lapsed the Grand Master of the Jedi Order opened his eyes and spoke. "Blame you I do not, for keeping certain events from the council. Request I do though, that inform Master Windu of ObiWan's ordeal I can. Help he may be able. Intensely private ObiWan is, but strength he will need from those around him."

Surprised the old Jedi was asking his (_his!_) permission Anakin could only nod dumbly.

"Much gone through has ObiWan. No more can the temple healers do..." Yoda turned away. ObiWan had always been one of the grand master's favorites- not that grand master were supposed to have favorites. Or that he would ever admit that he did. "Change, it must. Needed for the future of the galaxy, he is. Fear it I do, that if not for your disobedience, one with The Force he would be. Charged with his care and recovery, you will be. Until well he is, off active duty you will be taken."

Anakin could only bow his head respectfully in understanding "Yes Master Yoda," he accepted. If he were totally truthful with himself, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. He knew that he, and he alone could help ObiWan's recovery. And within the dark part of his heart that he had been trying to smother for years, he was glad.

* * *

_If you review, you may even get to read chapter five before the end of the year!_


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